Remember
by mavk4444
Summary: "Here, I have something for you," Percy pulls out a pair of earphones. They're black and white, and they have a little skull on them."What's this for?" Nico asks, and Percy grins. "Oh, just something for you to remember me by. Put them on when you miss me, 'kay?" he says, and Nico rolls his eyes.


"It's too cold to be sitting out here in a tee-shirt."

Nico almost rolls his eyes, _almost,_ but stops and exhales heavily. The weight of Percy's sweatshirt drapes over his shoulders, and it takes everything he has not to throw the article of clothing over the side of the building.

"Now you're in a tee-shirt," he says, but Percy ignores him and plops down next to him.

"Why are you out here, anyway? It's two-thirty in the morning."

As if to accentuate his point, Percy yawns, head titled back and mouth wide. He turns to look at Nico, and the dark-haired boy can see him scratching the back of his neck. The older boy reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a packet of those on-the-go trail mixes.

"Want some?" he offers, already ripping open the bag.

Nico's nose twitches in disgust.

"Pass," he says, and tries not to stare when the moon illuminates Percy's face _just right_.

"Why do you like the roof so much?"

Nico shrugs.

"I don't know. Just do."

Percy scoffs at the younger boy and leans back, tilting his head towards the inky sky.

"That's not a real answer, Nico," he teases. "C'mon, you can tell me. I won't make fun of you."

"Sure you won't," Nico drawls, but Percy gives him a pleading look and he finds himself sighing. "Well…"

"Well? Go on," Percy says through a mouthful of the trail mix. Nico scowls and leans over, pressing the boy's jaw shut.

"It helps me think. When the world gets too much for me, I sit up here and just _think_."

"What do you think about?" Percy sounds…interested?

"Life…people."

"People like me?" Nico coughs, face turning red. He looks at Percy, trying to ignore the older's inquisitive look. "Well? Do you think of me?"

"Um, yeah," Nico says, just so that Percy will stop. The real answer is _"Yeah, all the time,"_ but he refuses to say that. "Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't."

"Hm," Percy leans back until he's flat on his back. "Lay back."

Nico founds himself staring at the green-eyed boy in shock, but leans back anyway. The sweatshirt falls away from his shoulders, and when he turns his face his nose is filled with Percy's salty-sweet scent. His shirt rides up his back, and the roof's coarse texture scrapes his tender skin.

"What else do you think of?" Percy asks.

Nico stares up at the sky.

"Myself."

"What about yourself?"

"Don't you think you're asking too many questions?" Nico asks, turning his head to look at Percy, but the brunet has his eyes closed.

"I want to know," he replies.

Nico sighs again and brushes a strand of his hair behind his ear.

"I think about the person I used to be."

"Before Bianca died, right?"

His sister's name causes a sharp pain in his chest, and Nico finds himself clutching it just to make sure he's still alive.

"Yeah," Nico breathes out, proud of himself for keeping his voice level. "You know, when I was all happy and shit. Like all the time."

Percy laughs at this, and when Nico looks at him a fond smile is on his face.

"I remember how you kept asking me questions about Annabeth. I was ready to wring your neck,"

Nico smirks a bit at the memory, shaking his head at himself.

"Yeah, I remember that."

Percy chuckled closing his eyes again.

"I like it up here."

Nico feels like they've switches roles.

"Oh yeah? Why?" he asks, and Percy clutches his bag of trail mix.

"Because you're here."

Nico inhales sharply, so sharply that his lungs burn. His heart jumps in his chest, and he has to stop himself from laughing. Percy hadn't just said that, had he? No, it had to be in his imagination.

"O-Oh."

"Not quite the response I was hoping for," Percy says teasingly.

Nico finally laughs, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

"Sorry. I…I wasn't expecting that."

"I wasn't either," Percy sits up too and shrugs, grinning. "But it just came out, you know?"

"Oh," Nico says again, still trying to wrap his head around it.

Percy's leaning closer to him, and Nico wants to move back, he truly does, but it's like he's suddenly become paralyzed. He body stays rooted in his spot, and Percy's lips are coming closer and closer to his own. And when they finally meet, he can hardly breathe. All the air leaves his lungs, and Percy kisses him again before moving back.

"Breathe through your nose," he says, or at least that's what Nico _thinks_ he says. His blood is pounding in his ears, the only thing he hears besides his ragged breathing.

When Percy's lips press against his again, he tries to remember to breathe. He really does, but his need for oxygen flies out the window and all he can do is sit there while Percy kisses him, actually fucking _kisses _him. It feels like a cruel dream. For how many years has Nico dreamed of this very moment? How many times had he wondered what Percy's lips were like?

_Too many to count_, he says to himself.

Percy finally pulls away, far enough from Nico that the loss of body heat makes him shiver. His fingers curl in the older boy's sweatshirt.

"Hey, pass me that."

He reluctantly hands over the sweatshirt. Percy sticks his hand in one of the pockets.

"Here, I have something for you," Percy pulls out a pair of earphones. They're black and white, and they have a little skull on them.

"What's this for?" Nico asks, and Percy grins.

"Oh, just something for you to remember me by. Put them on when you miss me, 'kay?" he says, and Nico rolls his eyes.

"I won't miss you," he says, though he probably will. Percy knows this, though, judging by the shit-eating grin on his face.

"Aren't you going to ask how they'll help you?" Percy taunts.

Nico tilts his head to the side.

"Please enlighten me," he says sarcastically.

"Every time you put them on, you'll think of me. And you'll miss me so much that you'll find me."

"And how do you know that?" Nico asks, because Percy should _not_ sound so sure of himself.

"Because you like me, don't you?"

"You're being pretty confident right now," Nico cuts him off, inhales quickly because he still can't breathe. "Maybe I don't even like you. Maybe it's all in your head-"

Percy kisses him again.

He pushes him back, and Nico can't help but to tangle his fingers into the older's hair. His chest feels constricted, but he refuses he break off the kiss. Percy's hands begin to slide of his shirt, and Nico laughs breathlessly.

"See?" Percy murmurs, breathing against Nico's jaw. "You totally like me. You _want_ me to kiss you."

"Maybe it's just because you're my first kiss. I have nothing else to compare it to, so I want to make sure I really know what it feels like."

Percy laughs, leaning up and moving away from Nico.

"Man, you don't want to admit it," his eyes are sparkling.

Nico huffs and crosses his arms.

"Whatever," he says, because Percy's kind of right.

**. . .**

It happens almost three weeks later, the day before winter break. Nico is leaning against the door of the train, on his way to school. There's a group of kids from one of his classes that are being a huge disturbance in the corner, laughing in high-pitched voices and hitting each other.

Nico wants to ignore them, so he pulls out his phone. He has music on there, and he figures that he can just plug in headphones and tune everything out. But then he remembers that his favorite pair of headphones burned out, and he quickly scraps the idea.

He licks his lips and reaches into his pocket for lip balm, but it isn't what he finds. He clutches the thin wire and pulls it out, swallowing roughly when he looks at them.

A pair of black and white earphones.

The same ones Percy gave him on the rooftop of the apartment building they both lived in, after he'd kissed him so much that Nico forgot how important air was.

He puts the earphones on and plugs them into his phone, picking out a random song and leaning against the doors again, sighing.

His phone vibrates in his palm, so the brown-eyed boy unlocks it and squints at the screen.

_Miss me, huh? –Percy_

Nico's face flushes, and he quickly looks up. Across from him stands Percy, dressed in dark jeans and a green plaid shirt. He crosses his arms and leans back, smirking.

Nico narrows his eyes and quickly types a reply.

_When the hell did you get there? –Nico_

He hears Percy laugh over his music, so he takes one earbud out.

"I got on here the same time you did. I'm kind of surprised you didn't notice me," Percy sticks his hands into his pockets.

"Huh," Nico says. Percy walks over to him, squeezing through the people between them and ignoring their annoyed voices.

"You're a terrible liar, you know."

Nico rolls his eyes.

"Back the fuck up, Jackson," he pushes weakly at the green-eyed boy's chest, but Percy doesn't even budge.

"No way," Percy says, leaning in close. "Not when I finally have you."

"You're cheesy," Nico says, turning away. "You're a moronic sap."

Percy grabs his wrist and presses against his jaw with his free hand. His fingers are warm and calloused, and his brilliant grin is inches away from Nico's scowl.

"You're not resisting."

"You have me pinned against a door."

"You don't want me to go."

_Damn you_, Nico thinks. _Damn you to hell._

He curls his fingers in Percy's shirt.

"Stop fucking around and kiss me already."

The taller boy laughs and kisses him softly. And Nico realizes he really had missed him. He would never admit it, though. That was a secret, one that only he would know.

Percy would just have to keep assuming things.


End file.
